Fireworks
by yumi-maki
Summary: AU ShikaTema. They met at a party that neither wanted to attend. A chance meeting, a smoother encounter. Five, four, three, two...the wheels of Fate are turning...Sequel to Cyclone. WiP
1. At a Party

**Fireworks**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Tonight, Temari was wearing red. A short, red, off the shoulder dress, to be exact. It was, to be honest, uncharacteristically modest - she simply wasn't out for that sort of good time tonight.

She wove through the crowd of the party, wishing suddenly that she'd worn a jacket of some kind - the museum was freezing and she was beginning to regret the choice to bare her shoulders. You'd never know it if you looked at her though.

She hated to admit it but she was actually looking for company, having long since ditched the guy that she'd arrived with. The truth was that she hadn't intended to be at this party at all but since her (_inconsiderate, no-good) _brothers had ditched her at the last minute, she'd taken him (a good friend who, though he was mad about her, she had absolutely no romantic interest in) up on his offer and accompanied him to his company's New Years' Eve party.

She'd stuck with him for over an hour but then he became engrossed in a riveting discussion about Jackson Pollock and forgot all about her. Only mildly perturbed, Temari had slipped away and started to cruise around the room, searching the sea of people for a familiar face.

Unfortunately, she had yet to find any. She was perplexed (it was rare that she could go anywhere without meeting at least one person she knew) and more than a little frustrated – the whole point of going out tonight was to avoid spending New Years' Eve alone but it seemed like being surrounded by laughing, chattering strangers was just what she _didn't_ need.

She stopped walking then and leaned against a table - her heels were killing her. She was just contemplating taking them off when she saw him. She didn't recognize him instantly (after all, he hadn't left _that_ much of an impression) but there was something in his demeanour that seemed familiar.

Temari tilted her head, watching him carefully - she was too far for him to notice her but still close enough to get a full view of him – all she had to do was shift slightly so that her view was totally unobstructed. Tall and lanky but well built, he was slouching, his expression bored and just a little bit sullen - it was obvious that he wasn't very interested in this party either. _'I know you,'_ she thought, _'but from where?'_

He looked up suddenly and she thought, for a moment, that he had noticed her but he looked to the right instead. Temari followed his gaze - a pretty, blond girl ('_Girlfriend?')_ was waving him over and saying something, although Temari couldn't hear it from her perch. He sighed and rose, reluctance colouring his every motion as he made his way, still slouching, now with his hands in his pockets, slowly over to where the girl was standing.

The look on the blond's face clearly showed her growing aggravation and Temari could tell that lazy boy was in for an earful when he finally made it over there. She couldn't blame the girl though - Temari also hated to be kept waiting.

When he reached his blond companion, Temari moved closer and perched on another table in such a way that she could see _and hear_ what was going on. She told herself it was because she wanted to know who this guy was, assuming that hearing his voice would jog her memory.

"Shikamaru-kun, this is my boss, Tsunade-sama," the blond said in a deceptively calm voice, gesturing to a beautiful, mature woman standing next to her. This lady, Tsunade was obviously used to being the boss - Temari could sense the air of authority around her.

"And Tsunade-sama, this is my friend, Shikamaru Nara." Shikamaru and Tsunade shook hands while Temari racked her brain, '_Shikamaru Nara?'_ Naturally, the name didn't ring a bell.

When she returned her focus to their conversation, lazy boy a.k.a. Shikamaru was speaking, "...it can be a difficult line of work, I suppose, but it's something that I enjoy."

Temari's eyes widened as she heard his voice, _'Oh! Lazy boy is the guy from the club. I remember him! Which is kind of strange considering how long ago that was.' _

Now that she had identified him, Temari lost interest and tuned out the conversation going on behind her. Instead, she returned her attention to her sore feet. _'I'm going to chuck these shoes over the first balcony I see - they are so - "_

"Enjoy the conversation?"

Temari straightened, shocked because she hadn't even noticed his approach, but still managed to smirk as she turned to face him, "So you noticed me?"

He shrugged, "You weren't particularly stealthy. We've met before, right?"

Temari nodded, "A club, a few months ago."

He nodded, "Right, I remember. You made me pay for your drink."

Temari tilted her head quizzically, "Did I?" She honestly couldn't remember.

He shrugged, shifted his gaze from her to the crowd, "It doesn't matter – it's not like I want the money back or anything."

"I wouldn't have paid you back, even if you did."

He glanced at her as a frown began to form on his face, "I'm not surprised." Then he looked away, the boredom settling on his face once again.

Temari studied him, wondering whether or not to continue their conversation - his indifference was kind of irritating but at least, she wasn't alone. She decided to stick around a bit longer, see if he had anything interesting to say, "So why are you at this party anyway? You obviously don't want to be here. Did your girlfriend drag you?" she asked, glancing in Ino's direction.

He turned to face her, the frown fully formed now, "Ino? My girlfriend?" He shook his head, "She's just a friend, but you're right – she did drag me here."

Temari didn't respond, just nodded.

He eyed her, "Are you here alone? Or with 'some people' like last time?"

"I'm not exactly alone."

He considered her, then suddenly shrugged out of his jacket and held it out to her. She blinked at it, shocked, "Wh – ?

"Aren't you cold? Put it on." She hadn't even realized that she'd shivered while speaking.

Temari frowned at him, she wasn't sure why but the way he brandished it at her was really annoying her. Nevertheless, she was cold and he was offering so she snatched it out of his hand and put it on quickly. The jacket still retained most of Shikamaru's body heat and she unconsciously pulled it closer, reveling in the much needed warmth.

"Thanks," she muttered, although she hadn't originally intended to say anything.

He nodded absently, his eyes on the clock, "The countdown's gonna start soon."

She glanced at the clock as well – two minutes to twelve. "You're right." She glanced at him, took in his profile, (_'You know, he's not bad looking.')_ then asked, "Do you have any resolutions?"

"Sleep more. Drink less coffee. You?"

She shook her head, "Nope, I don't make resolutions."

He glanced at her, "Really?"

"No, not really. I've actually got a pretty long list."

He raised an eyebrow - she assumed that he was wondering why she lied, "What's number one?"

She suddenly started to feel unnerved. She wasn't sure why, maybe it was the intent way that he was now looking at her, so different from his usual expression, "Be a better person."

He nodded, "You'll keep it - I'm sure of that."

Just then, the countdown began. _Twenty..._

"How can you be so sure? You don't even know me."

_Nineteen..._

_Eighteen..._

He caught her eyes, "You're the type of woman who always gets things done. I can see that."

_Seventeen..._

_Sixteen..._

She shrugged, feigning nonchalance, "Well, you're right. I won't stand for mediocrity"_ (Fifteen...) 'And you have mediocre written all over you.'_

But still she didn't leave, even though she knew that her date would be looking all for her. He probably wanted to kiss her at midnight, as if she'd actually do something that corny.

_Twelve..._

_Eleven..._

"What's your name anyway?"

_Ten.._

"Why do you ask?"

He frowned and she could see that he was starting to get annoyed, "Troublesome...Do you always answer questions with questions?"

_Eight..._

"Only yours," she responded before bursting into laughter at the sour look on his face. Annoying him was fun - besides, it seemed to be the only way to get a response from him.

Around them, the noise was getting louder as it got closer to midnight. _Five..._

"Forget it - I don't need to know."

_Four..._

"Relax, I was just messing with you. Come on - a new year's starting. You _should_ be excited. Everyone else is."

_Three..._

He gave her a look, then shrugged and turned away but Temari noticed that his frown seemed to lessen significantly.

_Two..._

_One! _

Just as the clock struck midnight and the place exploded in a mass of noise and confetti, Shikamaru heard a sultry voice whisper, "It's Temari. Happy now?"

He turned around to see her but she was already weaving her way through the confusion, although she did turn back to throw a 'Happy New Year' and a smirk over her shoulder.

Shikamaru watched her go and tried to shake off the response that her voice had prompted - this woman was even more trouble than he'd imagined.

Temari started to look for her real date, unable to keep the grin off of her face - she'd actually managed to have some fun this evening and she'd started the new year in a pretty interesting way. It made her wonder just what this year would hold for her...

**A/N:** Sometimes I read this and I think it's good, sometimes I read it and I think it's bad. Why don't you tell me what you think? It's very likely that I'll continue this but it won't be soon so we'll just treat this as a one-shot for now, okay? Thanks for reading!


	2. In a Library

**Tangled Up**

Shikamaru smiled and closed his eyes as he sank further into his oh-so-comfortable chair. He loved libraries - they were so quiet, so peaceful, so -

_Bang!_

Shikamaru's eyes snapped open as a loud, banging sound reached his ears. He didn't know for sure what it was but he distinctly recognized the sound of something hitting metal. He waited for a few moments but all was silent. Shrugging, he started to relax again when...

_Bang! Bang!_

Shikamaru sat up, frowning as the noise continued, _'What the - ? Don't they know that this is a library?' _

Sighing, he got up and made his way over to the door, then stuck his head out, "Hey. Could you not do that? It's really annoying and..." he trailed off as he took in the scene before him.

A woman was standing in front of the soda machine, her leg poised above it, obviously just about to kick it. Shikamaru's eyes narrowed as he recognized her. "You," he said, his voice coming out low and dangerous.

Temari grinned to cover her embarrassment and lowered her leg, "Oh, it's you. How's the new year treating you?"

Shikamaru frowned and stalked over to her, "Troublesome woman, you stole my jacket."

Temari tilted her head, apparently more amused than anything else, "You ask me for my name, I give it to you and now you refuse to use it? How rude."

If Shikamaru's eyes could have narrowed any further, they would have. "Well, _Temari_, stealing a stranger's jacket could also be considered rude."

She smiled, "That's better. Anyway, I didn't _steal_ your jacket. You _gave_ it to me."

"Not to keep," he responded indignantly.

She shrugged, "Well, too bad - you can't get it back now."

He frowned, "Why not?"

"I gave it to my brother."

Shikamaru gaped at the audacity of this woman, "You gave my jacket to your brother? Why?"

"Well, I had the jacket and I didn't think I'd see you again and Kankurou needed a new suit jacket 'cause he outgrew his old one, so I just gave it to him."

Shikamaru shook his head disbelievingly, _'This woman has got to be crazy.' _

"And you thought that that was okay? I bet you didn't even try to give it back."

She had the gall to look offended, "You don't know that."

"Did you?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes, "No, I didn't."

Shikamaru sighed and shook his head. Usually, he would just let something like this go because honestly, it was too much trouble to have to deal with it but not this time, not when this coat-stealing woman was acting all nonchalant and indifferent as though it wasn't a big deal. She didn't have a scrap of remorse - she didn't even care! He wasn't about to let it go this time, "I want it back."

Temari looked taken aback, "What? But my brother - "

"I don't give a damn about your brother."

Now she narrowed her eyes, "Excuse me. You're not going to get your jacket back like that."

"Doesn't matter - as long as I get it back."

She took a deep breath as though to calm herself, "So what? You want me to buy you another one?"

"No. I want my own jacket. The same one that you gave to your brother."

She sighed and looked away, her expression sullen, "Fine. Give me your number and I'll get it back to you."

He raised an eyebrow, "You think I'm really that stupid? You'd never call and then I'd never get it back."

She stepped closer to him - they were almost the same height, "Hey! I am not a _thief_, okay? You want your stupid jacket back, I will give it back to you." She stopped speaking then and whipped out a pen (he didn't notice from where), grabbed his arm roughly and wrote something on it.

When Temari released his arm (which later started to hurt something fierce because she'd yanked it so hard), Shikamaru looked down and saw a phone number. He memorized it instantly, afraid that it would rub off and he would lose it (and the chance to retrieve his stolen jacket) forever. He just hoped that it was her real one.

"Don't call before five - otherwise you'll get one of my brothers and then you'll never get your precious jacket back." She turned then and stormed off without even giving him another glance.

Right after she turned the corner, a coke can fell into the soda machine's tray. Shikamaru looked at it and wondered absently if he could use it as a bargaining chip.

**A/N: **Guess this is a series now, huh? This was inspired by **TaintedMoonlight**'s inquiry about what happened to Shika's jacket as well as a line in Skye Sweetnam's song 'Tangled Up In Me' - _'I'm the girl that's kicking the coke machine."_

Thanks for reading and I hope this chapter was more ShikaTema-ish.


	3. The Movies

**Fireworks**

**Chapter 3**

Asuma eyed his former pupil, one eyebrow raised in confusion - something was wrong. Shikamaru appeared to be staring intently at the chess board between them but there was a distant look in his eyes that told Asuma that his focus was elsewhere.

Curiousity peaked, Asuma leaned back and took a long drag of his cigarette, "Something bothering you, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru didn't respond immediately, just kept his eyes trained on the chess board for a few minutes more. Finally he raised his head and met Asuma's eyes, "Anyone ever slammed a door in your face, Asuma?"

Asuma raised his other eyebrow, perplexed by Shikamaru's strange response. "Yeah, once or twice - irate girlfriends mostly. Why - someone do that to you?"

Shikamaru nodded as a faint frown appeared on his face.

"Who was it? Ino?"

"No," Shikamaru replied, "a woman I met a few months ago."

"Friend?"

Shikamaru shook his head.

"Girlfriend?"

Shikamaru made a face before responding, "Definitely not."

"Why'd she slam the door in your face anyway?"

Shikamaru sighed, "Well I went to this party and..." he said, launching into the whole story about Temari, "...then when I got to her apartment, she opened the door, threw the jacket at me and slammed the door in my face."

Asuma leaned back further, rubbing his beard, "And she didn't say anything?"

"No."

Asuma nodded, an amused smile on his face, "Well, she certainly sounds feisty," he concluded. He sobered up quickly after a withering look from Shikamaru, "Well if you got your jacket back, why is it still bothering you?"

Shikamaru shrugged, "That's the problem. All I know is that ever since it happened, I haven't been able to get the sound of that door out of my head." He sighed, "I knew that woman was trouble."

Asuma chuckled, "You say that about all women." Then he considered Shikamaru again - this was certainly unusual for him, "Sure you don't like this Temari?"

Shikamaru's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, then he glanced down at the chess board, his frown deepening, "Trust me - that is _definitely_ not the case."

"Well then, my suggestion to you is go to the movies."

Shikamaru tilted his head - now _he_ was confused, "What? Why?"

"It'll help you keep your mind off of things, drown out the sound of the door." Asuma paused for a moment, thinking, then added, "Or at least it'll give you a chance to catch up on some rest."

The sides of Shikamaru's mouth lifted into a small smile as he returned his attention to the game. "I'll think about it," he said, lifting a knight and moving it two spaces. "Checkmate."

"What?!" Asuma looked down at the board, then sighed, "Didn't even see it coming."

* * *

"So," Temari said, turning to look at the board above the ticket booth, "what are we going to see?"

"Cloverfield" and "There Will Be Blood" were her brothers' responses.

"Well we're gonna have a problem then 'cause I don't want to see either of those - I'm interested in Vantage Point."

Kankurou shrugged, "There's no a problem - we can all go see what we want to and then meet up afterward."

"No!" Temari protested, "That defeats the whole purpose."

"Which is?" Kankurou asked.

"To spend time together."

"We'll be together, I mean, we're all in the same place."

Temari rolled her eyes, "You know what I mean. I wanted us to spend some time together, you know, family time - I never get to see you two."

Kankurou smiled indulgently, "After the movie, we'll go to dinner - my treat - and we can have some quality, 'family time' then."

Temari sighed, "All right - fine. I'll see you guys in two hours then," she said, going over to the ticket booth.

"What would you like to see, Miss?"

Temari glanced around to see where her brothers were, then replied, "One for 27 dresses, please."

She paid and took her ticket, then entered the cinema. She scanned the room, then headed for a seat in one of the higher rows. Temari slipped into the row and settled into her seat, rummaging in her bag to take off her cell phone...she didn't even notice the guy sitting just two seats down.

**A/N: Hey - AU Temari might secretly like romantic comedies, you don't know. Anyway I'm sorry I was so long in updating - I've had this idea ever since I went to see 27 dresses by myself early February. Sorry that there wasn't very much ShikaTemaness in this chapter - I'll make up for it with the next one.**


	4. In The Theater

**Fireworks**

**Art Imitates Life**

Shikamaru woke with a start, the sound of drunken, raucous singing ringing in his ears. Frowning, he sat up and looked around, momentarily confused as to where he was. Then his vision cleared and he recognized the darkened theater in which he was sitting.

He glanced at the screen - the singing had died down now and instead a pretty blonde was talking to some guy. He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes as he tried to remember what movie he was watching.

He stretched, _'Might as well leave now,' _he figured, _'There's no sense staying to watch the end when I already missed half or more of the movie. Besides,' _he continued, glancing at the screen (pretty blonde was now kissing said guy) _'it looks like a romance.' _

He turned his head and looked down the row, then nodded appreciatively when he saw that only one other person was sitting there - at least, he wouldn't have to disturb a lot of people just to go.

Shikamaru stood up and started down the row but had only moved two seats down when he had to stop. "Excuse me," he muttered, glancing at the person sitting there. His eyes widened when he recognized her, "Temari?"

A frown instantly appeared on her face as she glanced up at him. "Oh, it's you," she responded coolly. She turned to the side, moving her legs out of the way, expression haughty and aloof, "Pass."

He stood there for a second longer than necessary, watching her, then moved past her and continued down the row. As he was about to step into the aisle however, he heard her say, "Hmm, I thought you'd be wearing that jacket considering how badly you wanted it back."

His expression instantly became sour and unable to stop himself, he turned back to her, "Aren't you gonna let that go?"

She sat up and turned to him, "Excuse me? You're the one that made a big deal about it."

He stepped forward, now even more irritated, "I had a right to." He scoffed quietly, glancing at the screen (the blonde was now yelling at the guy), "You know I don't even know why you're upset - you were the one in the wrong."

She glared at him, eyes narrowed dangerously, "You called me a thief!"

"Because you stole my jacket!"

"Shh! Take your argument outside!" Shikamaru looked around just in time to see one of the patrons in front giving them a dirty look.

He rolled his eyes and turned back to Temari. She was staring determinedly at the screen. Shikamaru sighed - normally, he was a pretty laid back guy and usually he tended to avoid conflict but there was something about this woman that just drove him up a wall.

Sighing again, he dropped himself into the seat next to her. She glanced at him, then back to the screen.

Shikamaru sat back, then said, "So tell me what's going on in the movie."

She didn't look at him when she replied, "Why would I do that?"

"'Cause I'm asking you to."

She scoffed and continued staring at the screen, "You should know - you were watching the movie."

He shrugged, "Actually, I fell asleep sometime during the previews and I just woke up so no, I don't know what's going on."

She glanced at him disbelievingly, then opened her mouth to reply but closed it again just as quickly. He nodded - so she was set on this 'cold shoulder' thing.

Mentally sighing, he turned to her, "Look, I didn't mean for this jacket thing to become an incident - I just wanted my jacket back and in my irritation, I guess I said some stuff that wasn't exactly called for. I apologize."

She didn't respond. He waited for a few minutes but she continued staring resolutely at the screen. 

Shaking his head, he moved to stand. Then she spoke, "As far as apologies go, that one sucked. But I'll take it anyway," she responded, shrugging. 

"Good."

"So," she said, turning to him, "do you still want to know what happened in the movie?"

**A/N: Does this seem plausible to you? I dunno. You know, I think I need to stop spamming poor with my stories. I have a life, you know - I actually do. Anyway, thanks for reading!**


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